What's all this about?

It's Jaguar's all-new F-Pace and the company's first foray into the world of SUV manufacturing. Although some purists may be dismayed at the idea, not even Jaguar can ignore the SUV trend and this large five-seater is the first of what will be a family of 'Pace'-branded models.

It looks the part.

Although it faces some healthy competition on looks alone the F-Pace does look impressive. Overall it is a simple design that keeps its surfaces and contours at a conservative level yet it remains unmistakably a modern Jaguar with that large grille and feline-like headlights. Split intakes dominate either side of the front bumper and in the case of the more powerful 'S' version these are replaced by larger single intakes to give a more performance-orientated image.

At the rear there is very obvious influence from the F-Type by way of the tail lights that adopt a similar sleek appearance. The raked rear window is capped by a large spoiler that is there to improve aerodynamics but also contributes to what is a more coupé-like side profile. Even though it has a very tidy rear end there is still a 650-litre boot lurking behind the rear seats.

What's the rest of the interior like?

The F-Pace has plenty of familiarity to it for anyone who has sat into either the new XE or XF saloons, but the designers have given it enough of its own style. Both the multifunction steering wheel and bank of buttons on the centre console are your run-of-the-mill Jaguar components but the centre console features some convenient storage pockets on either side while the door cards and generously-sized centre armrest keep up the feeling of luxury.

How about the tech inside?

Taking up prime position on the centre console is a large 10.2-inch tablet-like touchscreen display for the 'In Control Touch Pro' infotainment and satellite navigation. Aside from looking good Jaguar has beefed up the processing power for the system meaning it should perform as well as the best of them. One interesting titbit of information Jaguar revealed is that its new system in the F-Pace has more processing power than a Boeing 777. Jaguar will also offer a 12.3-inch virtual cockpit like the one seen on the Audi Q7.

What about the engines?

Like the rest of the revitalised Jaguar range the F-Pace will make use of the Ingenium diesel engines, which will include a 2.0-litre unit producing 180hp yet emitting just 129g/km of CO₂. For the more enthusiastic drivers there will also be a 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 capable of producing 380hp, enabling the F-Pace to hit 62mph from rest in just 5.5 seconds. There will also be a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine with 300hp and 700Nm of torque. Jaguar claims that this will reach 62mph in just 5.8 seconds and return 47.1mpg while emitting 159g/km of CO₂. The F-Pace will utilise both rear- and all-wheel drive transmissions.

Okay, but how much will it cost?

Jaguar will offer the F-Pace in Prestige, R-Sport, Portfolio and S trim grades, as per its other models, and pricing will start at £34,170, rising to £51,450 for the S version. There will also be an exclusive F-Pace First Edition model, priced at £65,275, of which just 2,000 will be produced and only 200 of which will be destined for the UK market.